Camp Like A Shinobi
by Stone Shield
Summary: Ugh. Another idea that I rediscovered among old fic stuff. Edited and updated to current. Stats... Naruto just after the war, like right after, in current times, and...demigod. And who better to pair up with the rambunctious knucklehead than someone who can really crack the whip on him? Rated M just in case, but for language at least.


**Camp Like a Shinobi**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Percy Jackson.

AN/ I had two ideas for the Percy Jackson crossover. Ironically, this one was conceived BEFORE the Camp Jupiter story. Yet, it is published AFTER. Well, it's ironic to me.

* * *

 **Prologue**

Forests were generally peaceful places.

Well, to those relatively high up on the food chain. Peace was, after all, a matter of perspective.

That aside, the tree-covered mountains were a haven of nature, away from man's touch for the most part. Lush and verdant. You could lose yourself amidst all that greenery. Sadly, it wasn't as quiet as you'd expect.

KR-SLAM!

Within a small radius, a half-mile or so, local geography shook, tree's swayed in the sudden wind, and dust flew outward.

At its epicenter, a maddened beast beat its wings against the disturbed rock and soil, trying to right itself in the depression its impact had formed. Eyes blazing, it shrieked a promise of bloody murder. It was a bird, a massive avian creature with a wingspan well over fifteen feet, but with many more traits to prove it was more than just an oddity of nature. For one, its beak actually seemed to have teeth; a razor, serrated edge. Oh, and the other thing? It was on fire. Seriously, it blazed with an angry red and orange flame.

It was a phoenix.

And it was pissed off.

Regal bird of myth his _ass!_ The thing was _vicious!_ The almost toothlike, serrated edges to its beak and the savage gleam to its eyes spoke less of beauty and more of beast!

"Shut it, you overgrown turkey!" A defiant fist came crashing down out of nowhere, cutting through the flames and bashing the giant bird atop the skull, crowning it with a sickening smash.

"Gah! Hot, hot, hot, hot!" Hissing, shaking his hand, he blew on it. Burnt skin was already healing, but, well, instinct, y'know? "Fucking bird," he grumbled. The damn thing had sneak-attacked him, incinerating his breakfast at the same time.

That'd kinda irked him.

Now, victorious…he was a little singed and still very hungry…and he couldn't even eat the damn bird!

The moment he'd leveled that last crashing blow upon it, the bird's head had slammed into the dirt with enough force to shatter its beak and kill it, its body seeming to explode into a cloud of gold dust.

In its wake, a pair of gauntlets, ghostly flames licking the metal. (I'm thinking Dragon Ace from the anime-manga series Maken-Ki, but a little more armored. Maybe same appearance as a pair of Boosted Gear?)

"Damn," the teen griped under his breath. When the flaming turkey had attacked him, his first thought was that he could maybe get a feather or two from it, maybe some blood… A phoenix wasn't all that common, pretty darn uncommon in fact, but their feathers were useful ingredients. And while he had no use for them, he could've traded them. Getting armor and weapons was usually considered pretty lucky, but his mind had been on other rewards.

Just last week, he'd done his monthly drop-off. As many monster fights as he got into, he had a running shopping list from his somewhat boss and the kids of the camp. His latest delivery had a five pound bag of Hellhound teeth from all the beasts that'd tried their luck against him. But that wasn't a terribly scarce item. Hellhounds tended to show up a lot. And, whenever he accumulated enough odds and ends, he'd check his inventory…and for the price of a few drachma…would have it all shipped to the camp.

Phoenix feathers and tears had been on that list for a year now. He'd only fought four out of all his fights in the last few years and the results hadn't been as burgeoning as he'd hoped. A few feathers, two in total, but still no tears, and not a drop of its potent blood.

Feh…the damn thing would pop up again sooner or later. Next time, birdy. He couldn't help but feel a little vindictive towards the next phoenix he'd see. Ruin his breakfast? Yeah, he'd _remember_ you for it.

Grabbing up the armored gloves, almost like gauntlets minus the forearm portions, he gave them a quick once over...their appearance shifting into that of a pair of thick silver bracelets…before stowing them. He'd give them a go, and then decide if he wanted to keep them or pass them on, either to the camp or as a token of sacrifice to the higher-ups. The fact that they seemed to be fire element based made him lean towards the former as it wasn't his best element and he could always use an ace up his sleeve.

Sighing, he turned and shuffled back across the clearing to the smoking crater that had been his campsite. Well, in fact, his hammock and bedroll had survived. It was the campfire that had been targeted as he'd been hovering over it at the time, cooking his breakfast.

A wild boar and a pair of pilfered goose eggs. And, for garnish, some wild crabapples that he'd snacked on while he cooked.

All that remained of his supposed breakfast was a black, seared bit of earth two meters or so in diameter.

It'd been instinct that'd saved him from being caught full-on by the blast, jumping backward and away as flame washed over the fire pit. Though…that wasn't to say he still had his eyebrows. Fingers came up to run over the now smooth brow. A few weeks and that would correct itself.

Consigning himself to a meat-free breakfast, he ran his hand over the inside of his left wrist, and grabbed the battered and worn backpack that appeared in midair before it could crash to the ground. Dropping into a cross-legged position, he opened the old pack to rummage around inside. He always kept backup meals on hand, and he was in no mood to go hunting right now. Even if he was, that fight had likely run off anything within a five mile radius.

In spite of many physical laws, he managed to delve deep enough that both arms and his head were in the bag, giving proof that it was in fact far bigger on the inside than anyone would ever guess. A muffled cry of triumph, and his top half popped out of the pack, a packaged container of instant ramen in hand. All he needed now was to boil some water, and…

Before his eyes, the noodle cup shimmered before being replaced by a bowl heaped with steaming oatmeal.

"Oh, come on!" he moaned piteously before looking up to the heavens. "It was just one cup!" he reasoned, with no answer forthcoming. Sobbing piteously at his loss, shoulders sagging, he grabbed up the spoon from the bowl and poked at the food petulantly before reluctantly eating the healthy breakfast. He'd not admit that it tasted magnificent, fresh as it was, with chopped up apples and sprinkled with cinnamon. No, he had some pride after all. And he was in mourning over the loss of an unfulfilled cup of ramen noodles taken too soon from the world.

Still…

"Thanks, mom," he murmured lowly, but with affection. She may not be with him, but in her own way she was watching over him. He still longed to see her, hug her, feel her presence…but he was happy in the knowledge that she was alive. Well, as 'alive' as an immortal could be. In his mind, immortality took one beyond the realm of living. But, semantics.

Bah, he wasn't in the mood for all that deep thought right now.

Humming to himself as he ate, just sitting there, he channeled some of his power into the scorched, ruined surroundings. It wasn't dramatic at first. The terrain seemed to soften, fuzzing over, until the color of the ground started to shift, tinting ever greener by the minute as life sprouted all around, until a lush lawn of grass covered the newly exposed forest floor. For good effort, he focused a little and a few sprigs popped up randomly, sprouting and inching their way upward until a quartet of new trees came into existence, each topping out at around ten meters.

This was his ability.

Well…one of them.

A mix of his mother's domain, the sage arts that connected him to the world, and the sheer potency of life energy that filled his chakra.

He could've left it as just a small grassy area, but he liked trees and this was just shaving a few decades off what it would eventually return to. Twitching a currently hairless brow, a few wildflowers popped up and accented the area. Smiling slightly at the sight…ahh, serenity…he scraped the edges of his bowl clean, only for the dish to disappear the moment he'd eaten the very last bite.

A matter of minutes and he was packed and ready to go. Nowhere in particular in mind, he just started walking.

* * *

He wasn't all _that_ trusted by the gods. Not really. And the more rational part could at least see why.

He was a half-blood, true enough.

More to the point, it was the other half of his lineage that left more than a few disturbed.

He was descended from a forgotten branch of the human race, long extinct. A people that had possessed the diluted powers of a mad primordial god of ancient times.

Kaguya, the rabbit goddess. As deranged as she was beautiful and powerful.

The boy not only came from that branch, possessing that arcane power, but his own had been enhanced far beyond even the norm of his time. He held the power of the ancient ten-tailed beast, and the abilities Kaguya had passed unto her progeny, taking him far beyond the level of demigod.

This all came together into a package that left the majority of the Greek pantheon…concerned, even on a good day.

His name was Naruto Uzumaki.

And, for all intents and purposes, he was a man out of time.

Once upon a time, he…and a somewhat brother of his…saved the whole damn world. Only…a little dustup that preceded said saving had left them both at Death's door. Hey, blow your arm off and last as long as he had! He didn't remember much of anything after they'd broken the Ininite Tsukyomi, except for falling.

He woke up in a strange place, in a strange time, only to find the world, and history, had passed him by. Around him, the shattered remains of a massive, chakra crystal. Kinda like that Kagura lady made, but yellow. Yeah, and a miraculously whole arm again. So...he didn't mind that last one.

Not that all that bothered him. Okay, most of it _really_ did. But it was nothing compared to being…regressed…by at least two to three years. (Starting story 16, will have woken at age 14ish). Seriously, he'd been short…again…and had to go through puberty…all over again!

That aside…

Shinobi had become a thing of myth, fairy tales, and fiction.

Kurama and the other Biju...gone. No presence. No record. Nothing.

All sources of chakra, excluding the abundant energies of nature had seemingly vanished from the face of the Earth.

And through however long he'd been out of it, gods…that's with a lowercase g…had taken center-stage and retreated. Okay, that had to have been a frickin' _long_ time!

But the most world-shaking revelation…

His mother…

Kushina Uzumaki…

…Lady Demeter.

* * *

Three months later…

Sooner or later, he really should try crossing the ocean to see what the other countries were like. In the last year and a half since his impromptu waking up he'd done nothing but wander the states.

Call it a habit he'd picked up from Jiraiya. He'd become something of a rolling stone, never really staying anywhere for any length of time. The longest yet was camp. He stopped in two or three times a year, usually only for a week or two…though, once, he had stayed for a solid month. Most of his visits coincided with helping his siblings in the Demeter Cabin with the farming.

He was just _that_ good with plants.

There were times he had to actively avoid the nymphs. At least he didn't have to keep an eye out from the fauns. They respected his connection to nature, but they at least wouldn't try to jump him the way the ethereal beauties would. Hey, he didn't mind a little attention, but a dozen nymphs giving him the eye…all at the same time…made him feel nervous.

Leaving the upper Midwest, the blonde teenager had crossed all the way into Canada before heading back south to the western North American coastline. Currently, he was on the way back from Alaska, so he was skirting the edge of the continent. As it was, he was cutting through the redwood forests of the Oregon Redwood Trail, sinking in nostalgia in the presence of the monolithic trees. They reminded him _so_ much of the older forests of Konoha.

"Afternoon," a hiker greeted, joining him on the path. A slim man, in his late thirties to early forties from his appearance, with short, shaggy black hair peppered with bits of gray underneath a worn cap. His face, much like the rest of him was wiry, and athletic. A runner's build. Blue eyes rebelled against his guessed upon age, shining with youthful abandon.

Tipping his head to the man, "Afternoon, sir."

He was hardly the first person he'd seen already today. The trail seemed fairly popular with campers and avid outdoorsmen. He would've let it go there, until he saw the knotted walking stick in the man's hand. It was nothing special, though there were a few carvings cut into the surface…such as a pair of snakes.

Walking stick, snakes… looking down…wing designs on his Nikes… Remembering enough, he swallowed, throat going dry. "A pleasure to meet you, Lord Hermes." He added the title on account of not wanting to piss someone off right at the start. He'd save that for people he knew immediately to be assholes…who didn't have reputations for screwing you over if they felt slighted.

He still wasn't all that certain of how much of his usual snark he could get away with yet.

And while he considered himself powerful…

He wasn't too certain how his own raw power stacked up against raw power _with_ creativity. Myth and history showed that the Olympians didn't just have strength, but a crazy level of application of all that power. Show a little caution towards people who could fuck with the laws of nature with nary a sneeze.

The man's face broke into a small grin. Puckish. "Feeling's mutual, kid."

Even though he'd heard rumor that Hermes was actually fairly social as far as the Olympians went, this was his first time meeting him. Now that he knew what he was looking for, he could sense him out. The gods were quite adept at masking their presences, but he was a cut above the current model demigods, being something of a decent sensor.

So this was the messenger of the gods.

And, less openly regarded…the god of thieves.

Naruto could respect both titles. It wasn't like he hadn't had to steal once or twice…or more…as a child when it came to surviving.

"Um, what… Can I ask why you're here, sir?" The open show of respect was killing him a little inside.

Cocking his hat back with the tip of his walking stick, which had shimmered and transformed into his traditional caduceus, he sent the teen a cocky glance. "What? Can't a guy go for a walk?"

"…" Unsure how to reply, the blonde fell into respectful silence.

Stopping, the man in his deep blue tracksuit, leaned and stretched out his back, taking in the forest around him…as if he didn't get many chances to do so. Something the blonde could see given how said god was known to always be moving around. "Mm, got a message for you," the disguised god remarked eventually, picking up a stray branch of fallen needles from the path, examining it wistfully. "And since Iris has trouble nailing you down, I figured I'd hoof it and take some time to myself and deliver it in person. You know…fresh air and all."

"Eh?"

"Chiron's calling you in," Hermes continued, unaffected by the teen's cluelessness. "He needs you back at the camp ASAP."

Confusion switching to…a different topic of confusion… A little flummoxed at the sudden recall, "I can be there in a week."

"Yeah," the god dismissed. "I was thinking sooner. It's not just Chiron. Zeus doesn't broadcast it, but he's pushing the issue, too," he elucidated, earning raised eyebrows from the teen. Pulling out a cellphone and scrolling through his schedule, "I've got a transcontinental UPS flight leaving Seattle for New York in two hours. If you don't mind hiding in the cargo hold, it'll get you there by the end of the night."

Blinking in surprise, "What's so bad Chiron needs me there that fast?" Scratch that. Why did _Zeus_ want him there? That he'd actually let another demigod, not one of his, fly through his domain? It wasn't like he knew the guy, er, god. In fact, counting Hermes, he only ever met four of the Olympian gods. And Zeus wasn't exactly known for being the easygoing sort. Word had it the guy was almost always in a…stormy mood.

Heheh…

Heh.

"Can I at least get some peanuts?" Hey, if he was gonna fly…

AN/ I know. I know. I really should write more on my older stories, but there's no guarantee what I'll feel inspired to do. Add to one, or create another. Whatever.


End file.
